How to get to Sasmuan

Sasmuan is a quiet fishing town in south-western Pampanga, on the coast of Manila Bay, and the province's main highways bypass it.

By car

From Manila, leave the North Luzon Expressway at San Fernando and take the Gapan-Olongapo Road (Jose Abad Santos Avenue) west towards Guagua or Lubao. Both towns have roads to Sasmuan; the one from Lubao doubles as a dike.

By tricycle

Tricycles run from Guagua (about PHP 70 to 80) and from Lubao (cheaper, as it is closer) to downtown Sasmuan.

Getting around

Downtown is compact and walkable, with the Santa Lucia Parish Church and the market at its heart. Tricycles serve the barangays, but the southern barangays and the wetlands need a boat.

Where to stay

There are no hotels in town; the nearest are in Guagua and Lubao.

Floods

Sasmuan floods in the rainy season, especially at high tide. If you wade through floodwater, ask a doctor about leptospirosis prevention, and be tactful: residents have lived with the floods for years.